Car ladder



June 11, 1940.

' G. A. sTEuBl-:R

CAR LADDER Filed Jan. 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June l1, 1940.

G. A. STEUBER 2,204,163\ CAR LADDER Filed Jan. 24, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 11, 1940 c e -t UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE CAR LADDER Gnorgeu.` Stcuber, Penfeld, N; Y., assignor to l esatch Shops, Inc., a `corporation of New Application January 24, 1939, Serial No. 252,697

. 2 claims. (c1. 228-49) My invention relates to improvements in ladcar. While I have shownmy invention as apders for railroad cars and has for its object the plied to a round corner car, it is, of course, undermounting on a car of a stileless ladder, the rungs stood that it may be applied with equal eiiiciency of which extend from the side wall of the car to a square cornered car. A

5' around the corner of the car and tothe end wall The rungs 4 are preferably made from Stout 5 of the car whereby a trainman may mount the bar iron,nbut, of course, they may be made from rungs on the end of the car and work around to any other suitable material. These rungs have the rungs on the side of the caras there is no spacing arms 5 at each end and attaching ends obstruction in the rungs from end to end. 6 and. I which are secured to the car by means 16" It is Well known to those familiar with railroad of the bolts, or other suitable fasteners 8. The 10 practice that trainmen are required to board'cars Spacing arms 5 are 0f equal length Whereby the at nightrwhen trains are in motion, andare often rung is spaced an equal distance throughout its called upon to perform their duties under adverse length from the walls of the car, as clearly shown weather `conditions when such hazards` as rain, in Figure 3, whereby the trainman is assured of sleet, ice, snow or intense cold have to be' conan equal foot space between the rung and the `lli tended withyand it is under these conditions, walls `of the car. as well as more favorable conditions, that my Preferably, I secure to the round corner of the improved stileless ladder with unobstructed car a spacing member 9 having an eye I0 at one rungs, one end of which is secured to the side end which is adapted to fit over the rung 4,

201 wall of the car and the other end to the en'd said spacing member having an end II provided 20 wall of the car, facilitates the movement of the with the bolt opening I2 through which the bolt operator in mounting and descending from the I3 passes to secure the spacer to theround corner car. It will bereadily seen by the use `of my wall of thecar. stileless ladder that there is no cornerobstruc- As shown, this spacing member is arranged tion for the operator to climb around, and there mainly above the level .of the rungand is se- 25 is no need of an operator releasing his hand from cured at its upper end to the crner wall and the rungs of the ladder in passing from the side thence inclines or is bent outwardly and downladder to the end ladder thereby increasing the wardly at an angle and secured at its lower end safety .of the operator. to the rung. By this construction of the rungs The specific object of my invention is the proand construction and arrangement of the in- 30 vision of the stileless ladder for a car, the rungs dividual supports 9 a trainman in shifting on a of which extend without obstruction continuously rung from side to end or end to side of a car from the side wall of the car around the-corner may do so in a safe manner by movements of of the car to the end wall of the car; and with his feet through a substantially clear space bethis and other'objects in View my invention contween adjacent rungs and without the necessity 35 sists of the parts and combination of parts hereof swinging either foot outwardly beyond the inafter set forth. plane of the ladder, as he would be compelled to In the drawings: do in the use of a ladder having a center stile Figure 1 is a detailed perspective view at one or other interfering portions between side and corner of a car with my stileless ladder in posiend wall portions of ladder rungs. Also by this 40 tion. construction and arrangement of the rungs the Figure 2 is an end view of the car with a stiletrainman grasping a rung and resting his feet on less ladder in position. a lower rung may bring one of his feet to bear Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed sectional view on the support 9 .of said lower rung to prevent through the side end and corner wall of a car his feet from sliding on the rung and to enable 45 with my improved ladder in position. him to brace himself for safer support in inclem- Figure 4 is a top plan view of one of the rungs ent weather and against wind pressures, shocls detached. and jars when the train is in motion.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4 showing As will be seen from Figure 3, the ladder rungs my improved ladder applied to a square corner are permanently bent to conform with the con- 50 car. tour of the side end and corner walls `of the car. The reference numeral I designates a car hav- As will be seen in Figures 1 and 2, these rungs ing an end wall 2 and a side wall 3, the corner are also mounted on the top of the car and exof the car being rounded as at 3a, said rounded tend integrally and without interruption from the corner merging into the side and end walls of the side of the car around to the end of the car. 55

This stileless ladder embodying my invention is built directly on the car.

While I have herein shown and described what I now consider the proper manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that may come within the scope of the claims appended hereto. s

By the term no obstruction in the rungs from end to end I mean that there is no vertical ladder stile over which a train operator must climb in passing from a side ladderto an end ladder. When the operator is holding on to a ladder with one hand and standing on one of the lower rungs the spacing member 9 functions as stated as a protection to brace his foot against slipping and to assist him in maintaining his position on the ladder when the train is in motion,

By means of my improved end and side wal?. ladder the operator may mount the rungs of the side of the car and work around to the rungs on the end of the car orrvice versa.

In the conventional arrangement of freight car ladders the brakeman must step from the side ladder to thetend wall ladder because of the distinct separation of the two. Having a separate ladder rung on ythe side of the car and a separate rung on the end ladder, in instances where they are not on the same plane, the brakeman does not have the safety of my improved integral side and end wall rungs, which maintains the same level at both theside and end wall of the car.

Inv Figure 5 I have illustrated the application of my stileless ladder to'a car having square or rectangular corners. In this view the car is designated by the reference numeral I4. The

Y rungs I5 are of a rectangular shape following the contour of the car corners and have inwardly extending ends corresponding to theends 5 of the rungs 4 which are secured, respectively, to the side and end walls of the car.V AThe intermediate spacing member I8 is secured at the corner of the car and functions like the spacing member.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a raliroad car having an end wall, a side wall and a corner at the junc ture of said walls, of a stileless ladder consisting solely of a plurality of rungs, spaced an equal distance throughout their length from the end, corner and side walls of the car, one end of each rung having an integral spacing arm secured to the end wall ofthe car and the` Aotheiend of each rung having Aan integral spacing arm secured to the side wall of the car, and an inclined individual support for each rung having an inner end portion secured to the corner walll above the level of the rung and extending outwardly and downwardly at an angle therefrom and having an outer end portion engaging the rung intermediate the ends of the rung, whereby each rung is supported free from connection with any `other rung and whereby each individual rung support forms a foot brace against which the foot of a trainman standing on the rung may be brought to bear to assist the trainman in maintaining Yhis position on the `ladder when the car is in motion.

2. The combination with a railway car having a side `wa1lan end wall,` and a corner portion connecting said walls, of a stileless ladder consisting solely of a plurality of individual rungs spaced yan equal distance throughout their length from the corner portion and side and end Walls of the car, one end of each rung beingr secured to the side wall of the car and the other end thereof to the end wall of the car, and an individual support for each rung located mainly above the level of the rung and having an upper end portion secured to the corner portion of the car and thence bent outwardly and downwardly therefrom andhavingalower end engaging the center of the rung, whereby each rung is supported from the car free from connection with any other rung and whereby each individual rung support forms a foot brace against which the foot of a trainman standing on the rung may be brought to bear to assist the trainman in maintaining his position on the ladder when the car is in motion.

(.'arlEIORGrEv A. STEUBER. 

